Christmas Traditions

What are everyone's Christmas Eve or Christmas day yearly traditions?

At some point I have to fit in the following movies:

A Christmas Story
Christmas Vacation
The Nativity Story
Elf

I'll also watch the live stream of midnight mass from the Vatican on Christmas Eve.

Before tinnitus, my family and I would go to Benihana's every year for Christmas Day dinner since it was one of the few places open and we didn't like to cook. This was a family tradition for decades.

 

Every year on Christmas Eve, we would take the train into NYC and go for Chinese Food or Korean BBQ followed by a visit to Times Square. Now, our sons are grown and have children of their own. Our family is spread out to three corners of the US- NE, SE and NW. Thank goodness for face time, skype, smart phones , etc. so we can still "visit" with one another and start new traditions.

My son and his family visited on Thanksgiving- we got out the old Lionel Trains that have out once a year and were set up around the Christmas tree ever since I was a child back in the 1950s. I'm shipping them out to the NW where they will become my son and grandson's new tradition.

TC

 

This year for me will be a new beginning setting new traditions since my hubby left me two weeks ago,
so here is a little bit of mine-

Christmas Eve- out for a drink or two with my brotther.
Christmas day -
Youngest son and brother and Mother in law coming for Christmas dinner and I'm leaving their presents under my tree so we can open them together.

Not sure yet about xmas night-

Boxing day- brother down for dinner and at some point will be seeing my eldest son,daughter in law and grandsons.

New years eve- I have offered to have my grandsons over night so parents can go out.
New years Day- lovely way to start the New Year with my gorgeous grandsons.

Still got fit seeing both sisters and brother in laws but fingers crossed I should be going theirs.

love glynis

 

On Christmas Eve me, mom, sister and her young son Theo (we all live together) watch the Santa Clause (the one were Tim Allen is Santa) while eating a takeaway.

We have done this ever since me and my sister were young and it was my dad who started it, when he died in 2003 my mom has continued with it and we still do it and I think we always will.

Christmas Day we open our presents early and then at around 1-2 pm enjoy our Christmas lunch.

New Year's Eve we have a salmon with whatever we choose. New Year's Day we always have Beef.

We are watching Elf tonight.

 

I am spending this year's Christmas Eve with my mother and my two siblings (twins 18 years old).

In Denmark we celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, the 24th of December.

I go to my moms house at about 1:00 in the afternoon, and then we spend the afternoon getting cozy, playing board games, maybe watching a little television or us talking. At about 6 pm we eat a dinner of roast duck, roast pork, plain and brown potatoes, red cabbage and gravy. For dessert we eat the traditional Ris'ala'mande which is cold vanilla rice pudding with whipped cream and almonds in it and cherry sauce on top. There is 1 whole almond hidden in the bowl and the one who is lucky to get it on their plate, gets an extra present.

After clearing the table and putting things in the dishwasher and such, the usual danish tradition is to dance around the Christmas tree, singing old danish Christmas carols while we hold hands, but since we are only 4 of us Christmas eve, we don't dance but instead just sit together in front of the tree and sing a little bit.

Then it is presents time! We exchange presents.......1 at a time! While eating various Christmas treats. When that is over, the official part of Danish Christmas has ended and we relax on the couch for a couple of hours.......maybe watching a movie or just talking.

On Christmas days, the 1st and 2nd, most people relax at home, some go to Christmas lucheon's with more family. I am going to my moms house again on Christmas day and we will have another dinner with more family. Second Christmas day is devoted to couch surfing for me

 

When I was young, my mother would go all out for Christmas. The tree and decorations went up before St. Nicholas Day, which was also the day we kids would get our stockings filled by Santa. Mom would play Christmas records and bake cookies for weeks. At some point, we would watch "A Christmas Carol" on TV - the old one from 1951 with Alastair Sim. Then on Christmas eve we would have dinner and go to midnight mass. On Christmas day we kids would open our presents and then have a big feast at my grandmother's apartment (where Santa cleverly left one of our gifts).

Nowadays the tradition is just to have dinner together. There will be a few decorations and some cake and coffee. We're an aging family and sitting around the dinner table is about all we can manage.

 

In Poland is one movie which almost everyone watches on Christmas Eve - "Home Alone" (1990).
When in 2010 'Polsat' (TV station) didn't broadcast this move in Christmas 90,000 people have signed the petition to the broadcaster

On Christmas Eve at first we break the wafer and eat supper (which is the most important of all holidays)
with my parents and grandparents. There's is important tradition - should be allways 12 dishes at the table. Most important are dumplings with mushrooms, borch, cabbage with peas and carp. One plate is always empty for "a tired wanderer" who can come. After supper we open our presents.
Later I drive to my girlfriend and we sit together with her mom, watch TV and drink wine
When I haven't had hyperacusis at midnight we always went to church for a midnight mass. But now.. all these trumpets, organs, violins and choir..

On the next 2 days of Christmas we spend a lot of time visiting our family. And eating a lot of cakes and gingerbreads